4. “I have been the lord your Godever since I brought you out of Egypt.You must acknowledge no God but me,for there is no other savior.
5. I took care of you in the wilderness,in that dry and thirsty land.
6. But when you had eaten and were satisfied,you became proud and forgot me.
7. So now I will attack you like a lion,like a leopard that lurks along the road.
8. Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away,I will tear out your heart.I will devour you like a hungry lionessand mangle you like a wild animal.
9. “You are about to be destroyed, O Israel—yes, by me, your only helper.
10. Now where is your king?Let him save you!Where are all the leaders of the land,the king and the officials you demanded of me?
11. In my anger I gave you kings,and in my fury I took them away.
12. “Ephraim’s guilt has been collected,and his sin has been stored up for punishment.
13. Pain has come to the peoplelike the pain of childbirth,but they are like a childwho resists being born.The moment of birth has arrived,but they stay in the womb!